Kanazawa and Shirakawa-go

We took a train to Kanazawa from Kyoto and hit the ground running. It was one of the only nice days forecasted for our stay there so we walked around Gyokusen Inmaru Park, Kanazawa castle park and Kenroku-en gardens. The city is very walkable so we were able to easily see most of the city in a short period of time.

The Kanazawa castle had a pretty interesting exhibit about their timber framing and infill techniques. I geeked out a bit.
Kenroku-en gardens are supposed to be one of the top 3 in Japan. It was pretty amazing, though really crowded.

The historic Higashiyama Chaya neighborhood (which was the old geisha neighborhood) had plenty of small streets to explore with traditional houses.

There were like 10 hawks (I think) hanging out by the river. We watched for awhile while they fought over fish and just made a general ruckus.

On the way from Kanazawa to Takayama, we stopped at Shirakawa-go, a UNESCO World Heritage site, for a few hours. The villagers still maintain their centuries-old Gassho-style houses and yards. It’s especially impressive because the houses are held together with only straw rope.
For a long time these attics were used for sericulture – raising silkworms and spinning silk. 

We ate lunch in Shirakawa-go at this historic little restaurant and had some of the regional fried miso, tofu and other things!

The bus was absolutely packed leaving Shirakawa-go, and the highway was shut down. But they folded down some tiny seats into the aisle for the ride and not a single person complained or was visibly upset. Hard to see it working out that way in the USA.

Highlights of Kanazawa and Shirakawa-go:

• Shirakawa-go village feels very well preserved and transports you back
• Kanazawa is easy to walk around and very accessible
• Kenroku-en gardens are one of the best reviewed gardens. If you find parts away from the crowds, it’s pretty great

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